Whether I'm rolling in the dough or counting out quarters from the change compartment in my car, I've realized that these food items remain constants in my kitchen cabinet. When I'm at the store, I automatically pick up a box of noodles and two to three jars of Prego sauce. Then when I'm back at home and putting groceries away, I find that there are still three jars of Prego sauce and at least two boxes of spaghetti still sitting on the shelf, with one of the boxes only half-used. But it doesn't end with Betty Crocker pouches and carbohydrates drenched in sauce - there's yogurt, applesauce, pudding, grapes, cereal, and a freezer filled with pre-made pizzas and Healthy Choice dinners. In a nutshell, my at-home menus consist of really fun side items (at least, the kind I was in love with as a kid) and main courses that are microwave friendly and have little desserts right next to the salisbury steak. The last time I had pot roast was probably at Saint Joe's cafeteria last year. Ribs? Smoky Bones. I can barely motivate myself to open a can of soup because I'm too busy thinking about the dirty pot I'll have to wash afterwards. The only thing I ever make "from scratch" is spinach dip (does that even count?), and even that never turns out quite how I'd like it to (just like Applebee's!). It's really very sad.
I assume that this attitude of mine will change once I'm in a kitchen with glorious counterspace and the world's finest ingredients at my disposal. I'll be eager to devour the secrets hiding out in my Philsbury cookbook and embrace a recipe that takes longer than 15 minutes to prepare. Right now, though, I'll continue to eat spaghetti at least once a week, munch on Fruit Smileys every single day (the fifth grader in me just adores them), and consider pre-cooked chicken nuggets a gourmet treat.
It's a good thing Luke can cook.
Your Spinach dip is very tasty. This site claims to have the recipe for Applebee's dip.
MJD
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/ccA/a140.html
Posted by: Anonymous | June 30, 2004 at 09:23 AM
You'll also finding yourself cooking a lot more when you have a dishwasher, I know I was the same way at my last apartment, eating takeout instead of washing dishes was a great thing. But the dishwasher has helped me expand my culinary horizons.
David M
Posted by: Anonymous | June 30, 2004 at 10:33 AM
You'll start cooking more when you get a big aparment and a dishwasher but once you have a baby you won't want to cook anymore.
Posted by: Brooke | June 30, 2004 at 12:27 PM